84 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019
4O under 4O I 2019
Christine Collier Clair, 32
Winery Director, Willamette Valley
Vineyards • Turner, ORA lifetime in Oregon wine
Clair has been a fi xture at Willamette Valley
Vineyards (WVV) since she sold friendship
bracelets in the tasting room as a young girl. An
internship there during her college years would
help Clair to launch her own Southern Oregon
brand aft er graduating, and, aft er a couple years
spent at other area wineries, she now oversees
all of WVV’s operations, from the vineyard to
the sales room. Since returning to WVV, she
has cofounded a new division, Oregon Estate
Vineyards, where she spearheads an exploration to
build boutique brands on some of the state’s most
unique vineyard sites. She also helped lead Oregon
Solidarity efforts in 2018, which helped Southern
Oregon winegrowers whose purchase contracts
were abruptly canceled due to suspicions of
wildfi re smoke taint.